Irn-Bru maker A.G. Barr names industry veteran Sutherland as new CEO

(Reuters) - Irn-Bru maker A.G. Barr said on Thursday it has appointed former Saga Plc boss Euan Sutherland, a veteran in the consumer goods industry, as its next chief executive officer, effective from May 1.

Sutherland, 55, was most recently group CEO of the over-50s holiday and insurance group Saga and had previously held the top role at fashion retailer Superdry and The Co-op Group. He has also held the chief operating officer position at home improvement firm Kingfisher Plc.

The Briton had launched a new strategy at Saga and also steered the holiday company through the pandemic during his tenure as CEO for close to four years.

A.G. Barr had said last August that CEO Roger White would step down within a year.

Separately, the beverage firm forecast an about 14% rise in annual profit at 49.5 million pounds ($62.6 million), slightly ahead of market view, partly helped by strength in its speciality coffee business and price hikes.

($1 = 0.7906 pounds)

(Reporting by Aby Jose Koilparambil in Bengaluru; Editing by Sonia Cheema and Eileen Soreng)